Doom Charts for 04/06/13

Top 25 Songs

#). Song Title (artist/album)

1. Hacia El 6to Sol (DemonAuta / Caminando En La Luna)
2. The Great Escape Of The Giant Stone Man (Void of Sleep / Tales Between Reality & Madness)
3. Lucy Lucifer (Veracrash / My Brother The Godhead)
4. Belladonna Wreath (Aleph Null / Belladonna EP)
5. Gotta Have It (Crag Dweller / Magic Dust)
6. Damn Good (Palm Desert / Rotten Village Sessions)
7. The Soul's Midnight (Ice Dragon / The Soul's Midnight EP)
8. Thy Kingdom Gone (Weed Priest / ST)
9. Hillside (Egypt / Become The Sun)
10. Welldweller (Lothorian / Welldweller)
11. The Bearded Fool (Old Man Wizard / ???)
12. Piss Me Off (Hellryde Inc. / Hellryde Incorporated)
13. On Strings (VolumeFeeder / Crowns & Chains)
14. Lucid (Mount Salem / Endless)*
15. Submissive To Evil (Vestal Claret / Bloodbath)
16. The Hammer (Attacker / Giants fo Canaan)
17. Worship The Devil (Glitter Wizard / Hunting Gatherers)
18. Howling (Wheelfall / Interzone)
19. Let The End Begin (Ancient VVisdom / Deathlike)
20. Pare Huarg (Lord Summerisle / Demo)*
21. Mind (The Heavy Eyes / Maera)
22. Misery Mountain (Black Overdrive / ST)*
23. Your Armageddon (Manlord / ST)
24. Hangman's Laugh (Wheelfall / Wheelfall / A Very Old Ghost Behind The Farm split album)
25. Rad Dungeons (The Valley / ST)*

* New Song


Outgoing songs:
Bring Down The Rain (Sideburn / IV Monument)
Green Shade ... Bright Interlude (Green Shade/ ..Bright Interlude)
Desert Sun (The Shooters / Planet of the Black Sun)
Horse (White Bone Rattle / Creature of Curiosity)

Top 25 Albums
#). artist - album title

1. March The Desert - ST
2. Sideburn - IV Monument
3. Crag Dweller - Magic Dust
4. Spacefog - Purple Void
5. Green Shade - ... Bright Interlude
6. Neon Warship - ST
7. DemonAuta - Caminando en la Luna EP
8. Weed Priest - ST
9. Blizaro - Blak Majicians
10. Palm Desert - Rotten Village Sessions
11. Tentacle - Ingot Eye
12. Bretus - In Onirica
13. Iron Hearse - Get In The Hearse
14. Gates of Slumber - Stormcrow EP
15. Aleph Null - Belladonna EP
16. Egypt - Become the Sun
17. Cultura Tres - Rezando Al Miedo
18. Tsar Bomba - Silent Queen
19. Boudain - ST EP
20. Various Artists - Chilean Fuzz Comp.
21. Year of the Goat - Angels' Necropolis
22. Gozu - The Fury of a Patient Man
23. Mount Salem - Endless EP
24. Wheelfall - Interzone
25. Devil - Gather The Sinners

• Last Chart
• About the Doom Charts 

Cultura Tres - Rezando Al Miedo (album review)

Cover artwork by Damian Michaels

Without knowing for sure, I'd hazard a guess that at some point you have been hit in the head, maybe by a fist, maybe by a flying soccer ball.  Maybe it happened when you least expected it.  Either way, no band more accurately conveys that feeling through sound than Venezuela's Cultura Tres.  The hollow and wet thump, the bright flash, the droney and heavy ringing in the ears, the disorientation.  Sometimes nausea follows.  The lasting effect can be fear.  Cultura Tres' latest full-length album, the band's third, is titled 'Rezando Al Miedo' ('Praying To Fear').

How would I compare 'Rezando Al Miedo' to Cultura Tres' last album 'El Mal Del Bien'?  I wouldn't, this new one blows it out of the water.  But, I've a strong notion that fans of the band wouldn't necessarily agree, unless they're diehards.  The problem that I had with 'El Mal Del Bien', as indeed I have with a large portion of this particular brand of sludge, is that there's nothing in there to really sink my teeth into.  Nothing to draw me back, save a memory of a numbing buzz felt in places of impotent rage.  I need riffs, dammit!  Distinguishable ones, ones that if I recall them, I will spontaneously bust out with air guitar and mouth sounds because I can't help it.  I need melodies for the same reason.  Call me a neanderthal, or a philistine, or a douche, or what-have-you.  I don't mind, I just need those things to enjoy the music is all.  'Rezando Al Miedo' delivers these goods and does it quite well, thank you very much.  My aching suspicion however is that this isn't what Cultura Tres fans really want from the band, just increasingly downtuned distortion and droning riffs.  Well, there's that here too, and yet it's no longer simply about heaviness for heaviness' sake.

This is a truly impressive album by a band proving to the world that they are capable of composing and executing songs with multiple layers and textures.  The riffs are catchier, and if that term offendith thee oh Cultura Tres fan, then I've got to say I'm not sorry.  From the throbbing buzz of opening track "La Selva Se Muere" and its follow-up "Es Mi Sangre" to the solo which closes "Hole In Your Head" to the dynamic build up of "En Esta Tierra" the album opens up in a style previously unheard from the band before.  It's not long before you realize that this album is a tour de force, a masterpiece even.  This is their pinnacle.  In fact, I don't think it's going too far to say that this is as fine and memorable a collection of songs the band could possibly pen without veering away from metal and into pop territory.

Alejandro the vocalist is in fine form here, taking a cleaner approach to his position.  Interestingly the lyrics are mostly in English, excepting the choruses, which are mostly in Spanish, where the songs take their titles from.  The filthiest vocal of all, from the song "1492" is also sung in Spanish, which may be a clue to the man's comfort level with the English language, but he does a terrific job throughout.  He needn't worry of course because he's an intelligent and articulate guy with a lot to say (see video below).  By the time the mostly instrumental title track appears, a pattern begins to emerge in the listener's mind with bendy riffs and melodic counterpoint speaking loudest amid the din.  This all comes together on "La Ley Del Dolor" to tremendous effect.  The bendy riff opens up into a rarely heard harmony which puts a shitstorm of momentum behind the vocal.  This is the best song I've ever heard from the band, but it's only the natural evolution of everything they have laid down on this album to that point, everything had been leading to this one amazing moment.

The final track "Forget I'm Here" finishes off with about 14 minutes of post-Ridley Scott atmospheric drone, the kind where one can in fact forget the band is there and become lost in thought.

If the south of America is synonymous with the best sludge metal, then to go further south would produce something even better, right?  To quote the cool kids: "Seems legit".  Something about the heat and humidity mixes together for a well-cooked sludge.  This time out Cultura Tres pulls out all the stops and adds hooks to the recipe.  By the time you read this Cultura Tres will be finishing up the last leg of their European headlining tour, they've already conquered South America.  With material this strong, there's really no telling how far the band can go.  This is a brilliant album.

Highlights include: "La Ley Del Dolor" and "Hole In Your Head"

Rating: 4.5/5



Tracklist:
1). La Selva Se Muere (5:00)
2). Es Mi Sangre (4:16)
3). Hole In Your Head (5:38)
4). En Esta Tierra (4:53)
5). 1492 (4:44)
6). Rezando Al Miedo (5:05)
7). La Ley Del Dolor (5:20)
8). Forget I'm Here (20:45)
Total Run Time: 55:39

Alejandro Londono - vocals, guitar
Juan Manuel de Ferrari - guitar, backing vocals
Alonso Milano - bass
David Abbink - drums

From: Maracay, Venezuela

Genre: Sludge, Psychedelic, Post-Metal

Reminds me of: Alice in Chains, Neurosis

Release Date: May 15, 2013

Suggested listening activity for fellow non-stoners: Hop into a boiling cauldron caked in mud and sewage until the resulting brew becomes thick enough to stop bullets.

Better Reviews:
Phantasmagoria in Greek
Sludgelord
Temple of Perdition

Cultura Tres official website
Cultura Tres on facebook
Cultura Tres on twitter

GET IT HERE

O.D.R.A. - Karl Denke Blües (album review)

I've been dying to take a crack at reviewing this album since I downloaded it in early January.  It just kept getting pushed further back in the pile of albums to review because I prioritize band requests over ones like this, reviews of albums that nobody asked me to do, but that I had to do because they need to be shared.  In the time since this album came out and I've been waiting to review it, I've discovered, received the CD of in the mail and even reviewed an excellent album by a band called Palm Desert, who it turns out, are not only from the same city as O.D.R.A. but are actually connected through mutual drummer Kamil Ziółkowski.  Though the two bands share a brother in Kamil, that's about as much as they have in common.

O.D.R.A. stomp and crush the skulls of all comers.  'Karl Denke Blües', the title of their third record, is a fitting title indeed.  The album is a veritable axe attack, cleaving listeners repeatedly then keeping their flesh in large jars of curing salt or something like that, figuratively speaking of course.

The vocals are shouted with blood-vessel bursting force in the crust punk tradition.  The lyrics are all in Polish, but chances are you wouldn't understand them anyway.  Actually, Chudy, the vocalist, sounds like an escaped and enraged mental patient separating his shoulders to free himself from his straight-jacket to get his hands on that axe on the wall.  Once he comes at you he won't stop until there's nothing left to attack.  Yeah, I'd say that's pretty much what Chudy sounds like.

Screwdriver riffs with rusty feedback tips flow in and out of each song like extinction level event waves.  This connection of tracks via feedback and other such noises creates a single take live feeling.  It really does feel like a live record.  One can almost picture Chudy roaming and stalking around the recording studio on the warpath, the instrumentalists wary of his dangerous presence but glad he's on their side, putting a foot on the monitor and really leaning into his lines.  I don't know where the album was recorded but a killer's wooden work shed with hanging hooks on chains would be a good guess.

With a vocalist as crazy as Chudy, a drummer with the pedigree of Kamil and a bassist who goes by the handle of Defekator creating an album named after a horrific serial killer and his associated blues, you should have some idea of what you're getting yourself into with 'Karl Denke Blües'.  Sure, it's a paint the town red kind of record, but it has nothing to do with cheerful good times.

Highlights include: "Odrowąż" and "Karl Denke Blües"

Rating: 3.5/5

Total Run Time: 39:57

Chudy Byk - vocals
Ziółko - drums
Smalec - guitar
Karolek aka defekator - bass
Bartes-guitar

From: Wrocław, Poland

Genre: Sludge, Doom, Crust

Reminds me of: Baptists, Demonic Death Judge, Indian, Thorr-Axe

Release Date: December 14, 2012

Suggested listening activity for fellow non-stoners: Invite somebody over for dinner and sharpen the blade.

Better Review:
Sludgelord
Heavy Planet
Born Again Nihilist

O.D.R.A. facebook

Short bio of Karl Denke

Tsar Bomba - Silent Queen (album review)

Amazing cover artwork by Richey Beckett

The Tsar Bomba was the name of the Soviet Hydrogen Bomb detonated in a test on October 30 of '61.  With an energetic output equivalent to 57 megatons of TNT, it is the single largest artificially created explosion at any time in the history of the Earth.  It was a one of a kind event. The explosion, just like the Tsar Bomba that produced it, remain unique as they were never reproduced.  With that in mind, let's take a look at this French stoner rock band called Tsar Bomba.

If there's one thing that stirs my imagination it's the neo-grunge leanings of bands like Satellite Beaver, Soundcrawler, Mount Fuji, SautruS and Mother of God, among others.  Chances are if a band's influences include or they at least have some kind of feeling of Alice in Chains, Kyuss and/or early Tool they have in me a fan for life.  Tsar Bomba fall into this category, just so's you know.  There are hints of other bands: Led Zeppelin, High on Fire, need I go on?  Dirty guitars and vocals, plaintive melodies and quiet-loud dynamics help characterize their sound.  This band is all about power.  Explosive compositions and performances that will blow your hair back.

Vocalist Ced slurs, seethes and howls like a madman throughout the length of the album.  It's a signature performance which helps to separate the band from an incredibly strong pack.  As soon as mini-epic opening track "Jesus Fucking Christ" picks up, your teeth begin to rattle and your jaw smacks the floor.  "Enter The Void" then bundles the elements introduced in the opening track into a solid mass and streamlines it, creating a melodic and malodorous track which hunches over and hulks with stressed out intensity.

"The Devil's Been Busy" is as close as rock music can possibly get to capturing the raw power of 'Cowboys From Hell' era Pantera or thereabouts.  Piggy guitars, booming drums, it's an incredibly heavy groove-laden and dynamic song wrought in punchy rhythms.  "Who Am I?" has some of those incredible lurching drop out dynamics which just build, store and unleash energy in amounts worthy of the band's name.  Besides, a riff with frayed Van Halen-esque ends just demands the listener's respect and worship.

Just when you think you've heard everything the band has to offer and there are no more surprises or amazing moments, the band drops "Black Flag" on your ass and instantly you're floored all over again.  What better way to close an album?

And regarding the name, is the band reaching just a little bit much to name themselves after and thus compare themselves to the Hydrogen Bomb?  Listen to "The Devil's Been Busy" on the player below and then you tell me.  With the entire album available as an absolutely FREE DOWNLOAD on bandcamp, there's no reason under the sun not to pick this one up or at least try it out.  This album is not to be missed.

Highlights include: "Enter The Void" and "The Devil's Been Busy"

Rating: 4.5/5

Total Run Time: 40:11

Cédric Marcel / Vocals
Fabien Fok / Guitar
Wojtek Nowak / Bass
Jérome Farion / Drums*

*Jérome Farion is a new member of the band, he is not on this recording.

From: Paris, France

Genre: Stoner, Grunge, Doom

Reminds me of: Kyuss, Mount Fuji, Satellite Beaver, Soundcrawler

Release Date: January 6, 2013

Better Review:
Sludgelord
Temple of Perdition
Phantasmagoria in Greek
Ride With the Devil

Tsar Bomba facebook

Doom Charts for 04/03/13

Top 25 Songs

#). Song Title (artist/album)

1. Belladonna Wreath (Aleph Null / Belladonna EP)
2. Bring Down The Rain (Sideburn / IV Monument)
3. Green Shade ... Bright Interlude (Green Shade/ ..Bright Interlude)
4. Desert Sun (The Shooters / Planet of the Black Sun)
5. Hacia El 6to Sol (DemonAuta / Caminando En La Luna)
6. The Great Escape Of The Giant Stone Man (Void of Sleep / Tales Between Reality & Madness)
7. Lucy Lucifer (Veracrash / My Brother The Godhead)
8. The Bearded Fool (Old Man Wizard / ???)
9. Submissive To Evil (Vestal Claret / Bloodbath)
10. Worship The Devil (Glitter Wizard / Hunting Gatherers)
11. Gotta Have It (Crag Dweller / Magic Dust)
12. Damn Good (Palm Desert / Rotten Village Sessions)
13. The Soul's Midnight (Ice Dragon / The Soul's Midnight EP)
14. Let The End Begin (Ancient VVisdom / Deathlike)
15. Thy Kingdom Gone (Weed Priest / ST)*
16. Hillside (Egypt / Become The Sun)*
17. Welldweller (Lothorian / Welldweller)*
18. Mind (The Heavy Eyes / Maera)
19. Your Armageddon (Manlord / ST)
20. Piss Me Off (Hellryde Inc. / Hellryde Incorporated)*
21. On Strings (VolumeFeeder / Crowns & Chains)*
22. The Hammer (Attacker / Giants fo Canaan)*
23. Howling (Wheelfall / Interzone)*
24. Hangman's Laugh (Wheelfall / Wheelfall / A Very Old Ghost Behind The Farm split album)*
25. Horse (White Bone Rattle / Creature of Curiosity)

* New Song

Outgoing songs:
Circle of Serpents (Year of the Goat / Angels' Necropolis)
MrWeasley (Spacefog / Purple Void)
Baptized (Stonebringer / Ocean of the Brave)
Hypocrite Christ (Stone Machine Electric / ST)
Deep Waters (Dryasdust / ST Demo)
No Good (Hound / Spirits Are Appearing)
Don't Play With Guns (The Black Angels / Indigo Meadow)
Karmageddon (Low Torque / ST)

• Last Chart
• About the Doom Charts 

SIDEBURN Interview with Morgan Zocek

One of my personal favorite discoveries in 2013 has been Swedish quartet Sideburn.  Their sound is a refreshing melange of individual and modern elements with (perhaps, typically) under-utilized classic elements which create an organic sound that is adaptable to different styles.  For more of this kind of analytical B.S., read my review of Sideburn's most recent record 'Sideburn IV - Monument'.  The record was the No. 1 selection on the Top 25 albums list on the latest Saturday Doom Charts (see here).  For places to find clips and links to buy the record, follow the links above and scroll through, don't be afraid to click on the links.  'Monument' is also available on iTunes.




1. Hi Morgan, it’s great to talk with you! How are things with you and the band?

Morgan: It´s fine, we are booking a lot of shows, doing a lot of interviews and promoting the album in every possible way.



2. Are you happy thus far with the response ‘Monument’ has received from press and fans alike?

M: The responses have been fantastic, with top notch reviews from all over the world and good sales of the album.  It´s also on many top of the year album lists for 2012, so it feels great and inspiring.



3. How would you compare this to the response to your previous efforts?

M: I think the responses have been better and better for every album that we have released, I can compare it to climbing a mountain and i think that we are near the top now.



4. The band started in 1998 I believe and ‘Monument’ is the band’s fourth record. How has the band developed in that time and has it been a surprise or is it still pretty much the original vision of the band?

M: I think that we are more of a classic/Timeless hard rock band nowadays, with DOOM and some progressive and BLUES influences supposed from when we started when we were more "Stoner influenced" by bands like KYUSS,FU MANCHU a.o, the sound has developed over time as we have grown as songwriters and instrumentalists and i think we have more in common with bands like B. SABBATH(more the DIO/Tony Martin years), RAINBOW, SCORPIONS, M.S.G, ALCATRAZZ and we will always have a little bit of a LED ZEPPELIN influence in the backbone of our sound.



5. The new album was my introduction to the band. Do you feel your ‘profile’ has increased with this new record?

M: We always try to reach a new level both with the songwriting/Performance/Production for every new album and gaining more fans.

Rogue Transmissions - Chains & Jess and The Ancient Ones (album review)

SVART RECORDS TWO FOR ONE

Cover Artwork by Coven Illustration

CHAINS - DANCING WITH MY DEMONS

Not too terribly long ago, I reviewed Chains' self-released 'Of Death' demo album.  It was a dark masterpiece of horror drone which I found to be quite inspiring (read it here).  Now they have returned with a brand new 7" single, "Dancing With My Demons" backed with "Join The Sabbath".  This is their first release on the terrific Svart Records.  Where 'Of Death' was a solo effort by E. Chains, the size of the band has subsequently doubled to include Lord Samhain (Chad Davis) on drums.  For the first time, Chains has expanded their sonic territory into, well ... I'll let the band speak for themselves ...

Chains was born in 2010 as a Hypnotic Drone Doom project in the vein of Sunn O))), Moss, Urfaust with a 70s horror vibe influenced by bands like Death SS and Paul Chain. In 2012 after the release of the first opus ˝OF DEATH˝, Lord Samhain joined the project and became the fulltime Chains drummer. At this point, the music took a retro-evolution and became a hybrid between 80s Italian Dark Doom, Death Rock and 80s Dark Metal. Chains in 2013 Chains will revive the golden 70s-80s Dark Doom style with a spice of alchemic elements with simple and hypnotic riffs.

Excellent stuff.  It seems like everything Chad Davis is involved with is awesome, Chains now joining the ranks and sounding like the spiritual cousin of one of his other recent projects, Witchcoven.  Remember, this is the first time Chains has ventured into structured song territory.

The a-side, "Dancing With My Demons" starts off with some droney atmospherics and a plaintive, almost whiney riff.  No big build-up, the lyrics float in straight-off.  This is the first intelligible vocal performance for this band.  The vocals are unaffected, classic sounding but not necessarily clean, because they are smothered in production ketchup.  Altogether it's a great song, mist-shrouded graveyard vibes with cobwebs and dancing skeletons.

"Join The Sabbath" appears on the b-side but it's my favorite of the two tracks.  A great doom riff with horror embellishments.  The vocals are once more obscured by echo, but again the lyrics are still clear.  The chorus is catchy and driving and the song is perhaps a bit more adventurous in terms of structure.

I have no idea right now whether this single is a precursor to a lengthier work but I look forward to more of it all the same.  My guess is a full-length from these two demented geniuses will be epic in scope and vision with great riffs and haunted soundscapes.  Whether it be drone or this kind of graveyard dwelling doom, Chains always hits that crypt-keeping mood.  A gruesome twosome to keep an eyeball out for.

Rating: 4.5/5




Tracklist:
1). Dancing With My Demons (5:02)
2). Join The Sabbath (5:14)
Total Run Time: 10:15

E. Chains - Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Fx
Lord Samhain - Drums

From: Slovenia & United States

Genre: Doom, Sludge, Drone, Horror

Release Date: March 15, 2013

Suggested listening activity for fellow non-stoners: Be careful of what you wish for, and be wary of what you conjure.

GET IT HERE


*********************************************************************************

Cover Artwork by Adam Burke

JESS & THE ANCIENT ONES - ASTRAL SABBAT

It's hard for me to say this because I don't like being critical, but I didn't really like Jess & The Ancient Ones self-titled debut from last year. I liked a couple songs but it just wasn't something that I found myself returning to.  If you, like me, were luke-warm on their album, then do yourself a favor and give this one a listen because JATAO turn up the heat on the follow-up.

Title track "Astral Sabbat" has a winding labrynthine sixties swinging London riff that sounds lifted from some mythical Satanic occultsploitation flick of the era.  Naked ladies lie placidly on altars while black or crimson robed men in goat masks clutch daggers in both hands high overhead.  A pentagram on a high stone wall, gnarly tree or rocky outcrop behind.  This is the best song I've heard from the band.  It's immediately catchy and memorable.

When I got the CD in the mail, I opened her up and checked the inside booklet.  The lyrics for the front and back songs were listed which led me to believe that the middle track "Long And Lonesome Road" was an instrumental.  Nope.  It's a cover of what is probably the best song Shocking Blue ever did.  For those who are only familiar with their disco smash hit "Venus" (I'm your venus, I'm your fire ...), if you like the JATAO version here, do yourself another favor and dig into their back catalogue.  They were so much more than that one song.  I've long been a fan of this song and it's a delight to hear it covered by a modern band.  You ask me it's one of the best songs recorded in the early seventies which proves Jess and her gang have great taste.  The song is given heavy and respectful treatment here.  Well done!

"More Than Living" showcases a more subdued mood with a slight country vibe, more in line with the material from their self-titled album of last year.  A slow and constant builder, the song gets a lift from punctuated organ and lap steel guitar (played by Jani Karhunen).  The song is a nail bomb of dynamics, scattershot ideas fly in all directions, the band never losing the listener's attention for its full 14 minute span.  There's always something going on, something changing, something happening.  The long build up leads to a heavy final third and it's well worth the wait.

Though only 3 songs and some 24 minutes long, 'Astral Sabbat' is an impressive record.  It showcases what the band can accomplish in a limited space, strong and interesting song dynamics, great and interesting riffs that are just a touch different from anything contemporary, great taste and a bevy of musical ideas.  This is a good direction for the band to go in and I for one will be looking forward to their next offering with great interest.

Highlights include: "Astral Sabbat" and "Long And Lonesome Road"

Rating: 4.5/5



Tracklist:
1). Astral Sabbath (6:27)
2). Long And Lonesome Road (3:10)
3). More Than Living (14:48)
Total Run Time: 24:23

Jess - Vocals
Thomas Corpse - Lead guitar
Thomas Fiend - Lead guitar & backing vocals
Von Stroh - Rhythm guitar
Fast Jake - Bass guitar
Abraham - Keyboard
Yussuf - Drums & percussion

From: Kuopio, Finland

Genre: Prog, Hard Rock, Doom, Stoner

Release Date: February 22, 2013

Suggested listening activity for fellow non-stoners: Back woods occultic hoe down.

Better Reviews:
Ave Noctum
The Midlands Rocks
Metal Temple

Jess & The Ancient Ones official website

GET IT HERE